Christmas Alphabet
by I. M. Frelling-Wonko
Summary: Christmas traditions through the eyes of Vala Mal Doran.


I've had this idea sitting about for a while now and finally decided to write it out. The list is taken from a song called _Christmas Alphabet _that my father used to play and sing for us when my siblings and I were kids. It's a cute song and if you want to listen to it, you can find it on youtube. The version I remember best is the one by the McGuire Sisters.

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**Christmas Alphabet**

Vala loved Christmas. It was her favourite of all the Tau'ri holidays. The gifts, the food, the decorations...She loved it all. But what she enjoyed most were the traditions...

_**C** is for the **Candy** trimmed around the Christmas tree..._

Samantha was the one who'd first introduced her to this delicious tradition. During her first Christmas on Earth, she'd still been living on base. One night, Sam had shown up at her door with a small tree in hand. After explaining its purpose, she'd pulled out a box of candy canes and showed Vala how to hang them on the branches. Of course, they didn't always stay on the branches for long, especially once a certain Jaffa learnt of the treat. But a Christmas never went by where Vala didn't have candy canes on her tree. At least now she could blame the ever-disappearing candies on Daniel's sweet tooth, too.

_**H** is for the **Happiness** with all the family around..._

Vala hadn't known true happiness since her mother died when she was a child. She hadn't expected to find it again, either. Especially not on a backwards planet like Earth. She'd tried to tell herself that the loot and her freedom were all she needed to be happy but she'd known it was a lie from the start. On Earth, though, she rediscovered what happiness meant. It had nothing to do with the trinkets and everything to do with the people surrounding her. She loved that, once you got past all the frivolities of the holiday, Christmas was a celebration of family and the happiness they brought to life.

_**R **is for **Reindeer** prancing by the window pane..._

It was on her second Christmas that Cameron decided she needed to visit Santa's workshop at The North Pole. Thanks to Teal'c she'd already known who Santa was and that he was supposedly a myth. What she didn't understand was why he had a village of his own if he didn't exist. Cameron had tried to explain but, as with many of his explanations concerning Tau'ri culture, this one hadn't made much sense. But she'd gone along with it because he seemed so keen on the idea. It seemed to take forever to get to their destination but each time she whined about being bored he assured her it would all be worth it in the end. For once he'd been absolutely correct. She'd seen many things in her travels around the universe so rendering her speechless was a difficult task. That all changed the moment her eyes came to rest on a reindeer. She'd seen them in the cartoons and in pictures, but to see one in person was an entirely different experience. It was such a magnificent creature, one she'd never seen the likes of on any planet she'd been on. It reminded her that, no matter how jaded she became, there were still wonders out there to behold.

_**I** is for the **Icing** on the cake as sweet as sugar cane..._

Vala had never been one for baking. As a child, she'd done everything she could to get out of helping her mother with that particular chore. It wasn't that she _couldn't_ bake, it's just that she preferred not to. It was usually such a tedious task. But that all changed during her first Christmas. SG-1 was on standby for the holiday so they couldn't leave the base. Samantha, Cameron and Daniel filled the time by working so she'd been left to her own devices. She'd been filling her time watching television, the Food Network in particular, and it gave her the urge to try her hand at baking. She'd enlisted Teal'c's help and he was surprisingly willing. They were able to talk General Landry into allowing them the use of the kitchens in order to do their experimentation so long as they didn't blow anything up. The first few batches did not turn out well but once they got the hang of the Tau'ri measurement system, things became easier. Somewhere along the way a flour-fight started and, to this day, she contended that Teal'c started it. In the end, they'd wound up with about seven dozen edible baked goods that were doled out amongst the SGC personnel. She'd been proud of her efforts and made certain that every year there were freshly baked cookies for the Christmas crew at the mountain.

_**S** is for the **Stocking** on the chimney wall..._

Vala loved this tradition. On the first Christmas she'd lived with Daniel, he'd presented her with a beautifully hand-crafted stocking with her name on it. She'd cried a little over it and couldn't wipe the smile from her face each time she saw it hanging next to Daniel's on the fireplace. It made her feel as if she truly belonged, like she was wanted. She'd thought it was the best gift he could have given her. She was wrong. When they awoke on Christmas morning, she'd discovered her real gift. When she'd dug into the stocking she'd pulled out a diamond ring. She'd been shocked and turned to see Daniel kneeling before her, a huge grin on his face. He'd barely gotten his proposal out before she threw herself at him, tears of joy falling from her face.

_**T** is for the **Toys** beneath the tree so tall..._

Every year during the SGC Christmas party, the Marines had a Toys for Tots donation bin set up and Vala made certain that she was always first in line with her pile of gifts. She didn't donate the gifts because she wanted people to see how generous she could be. No, she had an entirely different reason, a reason that was all her own. When she was growing up, there hadn't been a lot of money for something as frivolous as toys. In fact, there hadn't been a lot of money for much of anything. With her father constantly off running one scam or another, she and her mother had been on their own when it came to supporting themselves. Her mother had done what she could but it never seemed to be enough. Vala had grown used to wearing patched up clothing and there were many times when they'd nearly starved because they couldn't afford to buy food. If it hadn't been for a few kind villagers, Vala didn't think they would have survived. She knew what it felt like to be that kid with nothing. If her donations gave just one child hope that there was a better future out there, that was all she needed in return.

_**M** is for the **Mistletoe** where ev'ryone is kissed..._

When Vala first heard about this tradition, she'd been thrilled. On her first two Christmases, she'd placed the sprig all over base, hoping to steal a kiss from Daniel. It hadn't worked. Oh, she'd received plenty of kisses, just never from Daniel. Somehow he always seemed to know exactly where she'd placed it and was able to sidestep. By the third year, she'd become too discouraged to even try. In fact, she'd given up on any sort of relationship besides friends and co-workers by then, too. She'd stopped flirting with him (mostly) and begging him to take her out places. But just as she started to pull back, he started to move forward. It baffled her until the day he called her into his office. When she got there, he wore a smug smile on his face. She was confused until he pointed up and, following his motion, she spotted the mistletoe. She'd been shocked as her eyes found his once more but he hadn't given more than a second to make sense of things before he pulled her in for the most gentle, loving kiss she'd ever received. To this day, they had yet to remove that sprig from the ceiling in his office.

_**A** is for the **Angels** who make up the Christmas list..._

Vala knew that most Tau'ri identified angels with winged creatures who watched over you, but she had a different definition. She thought about her friends and family and what they'd done to make her one of their own. General Landry had taken a chance on her, something no one had done before. He'd given her a second chance. Cameron may not have trusted her in the beginning but he'd soon become like a brother to her. He was always there to put her in her place or comfort her, depending on what she needed at the time. Teal'c had taken her under his wing, introducing her to the Tau'ri culture and never laughing at her when she misunderstood something. His patience allowed her the chance to enjoy this world but he also gave her the outlet she needed when the evil of the universe, one that only they truly understood, got to be too much. Samantha had given her something she'd never had: a sister. She was Vala's best friend, confidant, fellow jokester and shoulder to cry on. And Daniel...Daniel had always been different from the rest. He'd given her everything the others had. Hope, friendship, understanding. But he also gave her something no one else could, something she never thought she'd be worthy of again. He'd given her the knowledge that she could love and be loved. These were her angels.

_**S** is for old **Santa** who makes ev'ry kid his pet..._

Vala was moderately certain that Santa did not actually exist. Nevertheless, she always made sure to write him a letter every year, just in case. One could never be too careful in these cases. She didn't tell anyone about these letters but she never failed to receive just what she'd asked for. She knew Cameron would joke that she'd wished for diamond earrings or a puppy, which she had, but in actuality what she wanted wasn't so tangible. The only thing she ever truly wanted was the continued health and happiness of her family. And to be able to say she belonged to them, and they to her. It was all she'd ever wanted in her life and now she had it here on Earth.

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**A/N:** There really is a place called the North Pole in Colorado. I'm not sure if they actually have reindeer running around but it seemed like a nice touch. :D


End file.
